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For daughters, the presentation at court marked them as suitable bridal candidates in the marriage market. For wives, it marked them as respectable members of the upper classes of Society and sometimes opened doors for them that had formerly been closed. The woman being presented was always sponsored by another woman who had already been presented. This was usually her mother or mother-in-law or another female relation. If she had no relative to present her, there were certain high-ranking ladies who would do so for a fee.
Figure 2
La Belle Assemblée
March 1806
"The Marchioness of Townshend in her full Court Dress as worn by her Ladyship on the Queen's Birth Day 1806"
This print accompanies a biographical sketch of Lady Townshend, and is not referenced or described in the fashion commentary of the same issue.
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The presentations took place at St. James's Palace at events called Drawing Rooms, where the monarch and/or his Queen received those attending Court. Presentation Drawing Rooms were held two or three times a week during the Season. Based on letters and diaries of the time, it was so stressful an experience that it was regarded more as a duty than a pleasure. The young woman to be presented stood sometimes for hours (one never sat in the presence of the Queen) waiting for her name to be announced by the Lord Chamberlain. She then walked to where the Queen sat and made a deep curtsy — which had been practiced and practiced while wearing the hooped skirt. A few pleasantries were exchanged, the young woman answering any question the Queen put to her, but no more. When the Queen indicated she was dismissed, the young woman made one more deep curtsey, and then had to walk backwards out of the royal presence (one never turned one's back on the Queen) all the while dealing with the obstacle of her train so as not to trip over it. Stressful indeed!
Other formal occasions requiring Court Dress were the Drawing Rooms held to commemorate the Queen's birthday (January) and the King's birthday (June). These were invitation-only events involving only the highest-ranking members of Society. Unlike the young women being presented at court for the first time, whose dresses were primarily white or pale pastel shades, the ladies of the nobility were allowed more freedom of color in their court costumes. Many of the magazines of the period listed all the important women who attended the Drawing Rooms and described what they wore. For example, in January 1809, the Lady's Magazine reported that the Countess of Carlisle wore: "A most superb dress of ruby velvet and white satin; the draperies in every part trimmed with a rich imperial gold border, and a profusion of splendid gold tassels, rope, &c.; robe trimmed with point lace. Head-dress, ruby turban, jewels, and feathers." Figure 2 shows a dress worn by the Marchioness of Townshend at the Queen's Drawing Room in 1806, and Figure 3 shows what the Princess of Wales wore to the King's Drawing Room in 1807.
 Figure 3
La Belle Assemblée
July 1807
"Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales in her Court Dress on the 4. of June 1807, as authentically taken from the real dress made by Mrs. Webb of Pall Mall."
Described in the magazine as follows:
"This dress, for taste and magnificence, stood unrivalled amidst the splendor and elegance displayed on the Birth-Day of our justly revered Sovereign, and we consider ourselves fortunate in having it in our power to procure a representation of it for our fair correspondents. The body and ground of the drapery was formed of a rich silver and lilac tissue; with a most superb border, composed of emeralds, topazes, and amethysts, to represent the vine-leaf and grapes.The train and petticoat of silver tissue; bordered all round like the drapery; and each trminated with a most brilliant silver fringe of a strikingly novel formation. Rich silver laurel and arrow on the left side, to loop up the train. Head-dress of diamonds and amethysts, tastefully disposed; with high plume of ostrich feathers. Neck-dress, the winged ruff, a la Mary Queen of Scots; sleeve ornaments to correspond. Amethyst necklace and earrings, with Maltese cross; diamond armlets and bracelets. White satin shoes, with rich silver rosettes. French kid gloves, above the elbow. Fan of imperial crape, studded with amethysts and topazes."
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The Queen's unyielding insistence that women attend court in unfashionable hoops continued even after the King no longer appeared in public, and Drawing Rooms were hosted by the Prince Regent. The ever astute Mrs. Bell (the shameless self-promoter who designed most of the dresses illustrated in La Belle Assemblée) at last came to the rescue with a more flexible hoop in 1817 (see Figure 8), but it must still have been something of an aggravation to deal with such an unwiedy and heavy costume while standing, never sitting, at court. Such out-of-date dress had long been discarded at the French court, where no hoops were worn, but where long trains, white plumes, and court lappets echoed the English court style. (See Figures 5, 6, and 7.) After the Bourbons reclaimed the French throne upon Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in 1815, fashion magazines in England began to include prints of French court dress. It is tempting to believe they did so to encourage the Prince Regent to adopt a more current style of court dress by showing the more fashionably attired ladies of the French court. (See Figures 6 and 7. As you can see, the prints were often exact copies of fashion prints that had previously appeared in the popular French publication, Le Journal des Dames et Des Modes.)
Figure 4
La Belle Assemblée
February 1808
"A Lady of Quality in the Birth Day Court Dress January 18, 1808"
Described in the magazine as follows:
"A white satin petticoat , covered with gold spangled scaling, ornamented round the bottom and draperies with a deep border of white velvet, embroidered in an elegant pattern of gold; and finished with a rich fringe of the same. Body and train of purple velvet, trimmed with a similar fringe; pocket-holes ornamented with a rich gold cord and tassels. Crescent stomacher of gold mosaic, finished with a splendid diamond brooch; front of the sleeves ornamented with the same.
Diamond necklace, earrings, and bracelets. Hair a la Madona, ornamented with a gold net; comfined at the back of the head with a diamond comb and star, from whence descent court lappets of Brussels lace. Two curled ostrich feathers placed toward the left side. Plain tucker of lace corresponding with the lappets, brought to a point at the center of the bosom. Shoes of ruby velvet, embroidered and trimmed with gold. Gloves of superfine French kid, worn above the elbow. Fan of carved ivory, with ruby stud; mount of ruby crape, richly embroidered with gold and spangles."
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 Figure 5
Journal des Dames
et des Modes
1814 (July?)
Costume Parisien
"Costume de présentation"
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The Prince, however, did not relax the rules until he came to the throne as George IV in 1820. Finally, ladies could abandon their hoops. (Ironically, they came back into fashion within another 15 years.) The rules regarding white plumes in the hair still held fast (and did so well into the 20th century), and in looking at the fashion prints of the early 1820s (see Figures 9, 10, and 11), it appears that the extravagance of skirt that was given up with the hoop was transferred to the head. Plumes became ridiculously large and numerous. Figure 9, which shows one of the first non-hooped Court Dresses from 1820, also exemplifies the new extravagance for plumes. Fortunately, ostrich feathers weigh very little, else the lady would surely have been unable to lift her head.
If it is any consolation to the ladies, the rules of gentlemen's court dress were much more strict, and became even more so during Victoria's reign.
More Images below.
Click on any image to see a larger version of the full print in another window.
  Figure 6
Left:
Journal des Dames et des Modes
1816 (month unknown)
Costume Parisien
"Coeffure et Robe de Cour"
Right:
La Belle Assemblée
September 1816
"Parisian Court Dress"
La Belle Assemblée, which copied the print from the French weekly Journal des Dames et des Modes, described the dress as follows:
"Petticoat and train of white satin, superbly ornamented round the border and sides with flowers and couloured foil. Body of white satin or silver tissue. Short full sleeves of white satin, richly ornamented wth point lace, and surmounted by imperial wings formed of a triple row of the same material. Toque of white satin, encircled round the forehead by a bandeau of pearls or diamonds. The hair in curls, à-la-Ninon; superb plume of full white ostrich feathers, and court lappets of fine lace. Ear-rings and necklace of diamonds. White kid shoes with very small rosettes; white kid gloves, ornamented at the top with a narrow fluted quilling of blond."
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  Figure 7
Left:
Journal des Dames et des Modes
1816 (month unknown)
Costume Parisien
"Coeffure et Robe de Cour"
Right:
La Belle Assemblée
April 1817
"French Court Costume "
La Belle Assemblée, which copied the print from the French weekly Journal des Dames et des Modes, described the dress as follows:
"White satin petticoat, bordered with a rich work in silver lama of grapes and vine leaves. Body of silver tissue, with short sleeves or crape, ornamented with pearls. Falling tucker of crape, three rows, to correspond with the sleeves. Mantuan train of satin of a fine tyrian purple, pink, or ethereal blue, embroidered round the border in the same manner as the petticoat. The hair elevated on the summit of the head, and encircled with a bandeau of diamonds. A full plume of white ostrich feathers and marabou feathers intermingled. Court lappets of find Mechlin lace, edged with small pearls; diamond necklace and ear-rings."
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 Figure 8
La Belle Assemblée
April 1817
"Court Dress with the New Hoop"
Described in the magazine as follows:
"Full suit dress of pink satin, finished round the border with fine blond interspersed with pearls, to which are added rich cordons and embossments of white silk, in an embroidery of a novel kind, mingled with artificial flowers. Superb drapery of embroidered net, trimmed with blond of an unrivalled pattern and workmanship, and drawn up with full wreaths of artificial flowers. Train of pink satin, elegantly finished with silver lama; short sleeves of pink satin and blond, caught up to the shoulder with full blown roses. Head-dress feathers and diamonds. Diamond necklace and ear-rings. White satin shoes; and white crape fan, the outward sticks studded and fastened with diamonds.
"N.B The attention of the nobility and gentry is particularly appealed to on the newly invented Court hoop, which enables a lady to sit comfortably in a sedan, or other carriage, while the hoop is worn, with the same ease as any other garment; and by this unique and unrivalled novelty the splendor and dignity of Court costume is not only preserved, but considerably heightened."
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 Figure 9
La Belle Assemblée
July 1820
"Court Dress of Lady Worsley Holmes worn at the first Drawing Room of George IV"
Described in the magazine as follows:
"A beautiful drawing was taken of this superb and elegant dress last month, but our Engraver disappointed us of then offering it to the public; in addition to a faithful representation of it in our Print of Fashion, the following description is offered to our fair readers. It consists of a rich white satin slip, with a fancy petticoat over it, embroidered in pearls, wheat-ears, blue chenille rosettes, and wreaths of the same. The petticoat finished at the border with a rouleau of blue gros-de-Naples, wreathed over with pearls. A robe train of blue gros-de-Naples lined throughout with white satin, trimmed all round with a rich French blond, and rouleau of gros-de-Naples, entwined with pearls, to correspond with the border of the petticoat. The body of blue gros-de-Naples, tastefully ornamented with pearls and French blond. Headdress is a magnificent plume of ostrich feathers, bandeau of diamonds, and blond court lappets."
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 Figure 10
La Belle Assemblée
June 1821
"Court Dress
Invented by Mrs. Bell"
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 Figure 11
Ackermann's Repositoty of Arts
June 1822
"Court Dress"
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For more information on court dress, see these sources:
Nigel Arch and Joanna Marschner, Court Dress Collection, Kensington Palace, 1984.
Sharon Laudermilk and Teresa L. Hamlin, The Regency Companion, Garland Publiching, Inc., 1989.
Philip Mansel, Dressed to Rule, Yale University Press, 2005.
Kay Standiland, In Royal Fashion, Museum of London, 1997.
For more information on fashion prints, see these sources:
Alison Adburgham, Women in Print: Writing Women and Women's Magazine from the Restoration to the Accession of Victoria, George Allen and Unwin Ltd., 1972.
Irene Dancyger, A World of Women: An Illustrated Hisotry of Women's Magazines 1700-1970, Gill and Macmillan, 1978.
Madeleine Ginsburg, An Introduction to Fashion Illustration, Victoria & Albert Museum, 1980.
Vyvyan Holland, Hand Coloured Fashion Plates 1770-1899, Batsford, 1955.
Doris Langley Moore, Fashion Through Fashion Plates 1771-1970, Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1971.
Sacheverell Sitwell and Doris Langley Moore, Gallery of Fashion 1790-1822, Batsford, 1949.
Cynthia L. White, Women's Magazines 1693-1968, Michael Joseph, 1970.
Alison Adburgham, Women in Print: Writing Women and Women's Magazine from the Restoration to the Accession of Victoria, George Allen and Unwin Ltd., 1972.
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